It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all). We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

Last week, we launched the first ever DLC on GOG.com (for tactical-strategy game Omerta: City of Gangsters). The launch was a bit rushed on our end, and we did a bad job communicating what it was, and why we're adding it to the store. That was a screw-up on our part, and we're sorry. We've read all of your comments (and there were a lot!) and it's lead us to wonder about DLC and other new models of gaming that are happening right now. There's a survey at the bottom of this newspost, where we'd like to hear more about what you think GOG.com should do in the future, but don't jump down there just yet.

First, we wanted to explain the reasoning behind offering DLC for sale. It boils down to this: the number of newer games that have DLC keeps growing every year. As publishers and developers look at ways to remain profitable--look at how many big studios have gone bankrupt in the last 3 years if you think that's not a challenge--they're exploring new things like DLC, episodic content, and so on. GOG.com loves games, and we're committed to bringing the best games in history--classic or new--here to the site for you to enjoy. To sign some of these newer titles, however, we need to make a decision: do we sell DLC for these newer games, or do we not offer DLC and, increasingly, find that what we sell doesn't contain all of the content available for the game, content that hardcore fans of the game will probably enjoy?

We thought about it and decided that the best thing for us to do was to offer you the freedom to choose. We don't like telling you what to do with your games, whether it's how you want to back it up or how often you want to reinstall it, and it felt like refusing to sell DLC for new games was another instance where we were limiting your freedom. In our minds, if you don't like DLC, you're free to ignore it; if it represents a good value to price to you, then, you're free to buy it here--DRM-free, of course--from GOG.com.

For classic games, our goal always remains to bring you the definitive version of the game--with all expansion packs--at one price. Sometimes, for one reason or another, we don't get the expansion packs. At least, not right away (::coughcoughSidMeier'sAlienCrossfirecough::), but the goal remains that way and it won't change.

New games are different, though. Classic games aren't being actively developed, and they aren't being updated with new paid content, so it's easy to negotiate a single fixed price. For new games, that's not the case, and we can't promise a fixed price for all of the expanded content ever for a new game. We will try to get you all of the DLC that we can for free, but let's be realistic: developers release paid DLC because they want more money. Offering it for free is not always in the cards. Offering it for free 6 months, a year, or 18 months after the launch? That's more likely to be possible, and it's certainly something that we would love to be able to do for all of our games. We can't promise anything, but that's another goal for us.

So, as we mentioned above, we didn't do a very good job letting you guys know about this ahead of time, and as such your response was--unsurprisingly--pretty strong. To help determine what you want us to do in the future, we've prepared a short survey for you about DLC, episodic content, and other possible new areas of gaming that GOG.com might venture into offering you. Please take a moment and answer the survey, and leave us a comment below. We'll pick 10 winners who comment below and give them any game from the catalog--even Omerta and its DLC, if you like. :)

tl;dr version: We're sorry about how we communicated to you during DLC launch. We hope you'll give us feedback on what new things GOG.com might start selling in the future.

The survey is now closed. Thanks for your time and your insights, everyone. We'll take a close look at the outcome. This will surely help us in making GOG.com an even better service custom-tailored to its users tastes and expectations. Again, thanks for your opinions!

As promised, we'll pick 10 posts from the comment thread and give their authors a game of their choice. We'll PM you to ask you what would you like to get.

ERISS: But, at first, do somebody want to spend money for an uncomplete product?

Yes. I bought XCOM:EU when it came out. The game was complete (and excellent). When Slingshot came out, the game was still complete. Having Slingshot made it better (for some) or worse (for others). That doesn't change the fact that until Slingshot came out, the game was still complete, nor the fact that quite a few people opted to buy XCOM:EU without slingshot, thus by your definition paying for an incomplete product. With XCOM:EW coming out on November (12th or 15th, depending on which side of the pond you are), XCOM:EU remains a complete game. Having XCOM:EU and XCOM:EW should make for a better experience, but that doesn't mean that XCOM:EU is incomplete.

Think of it this way. Apple pie is a complete desert. Apple pie with whipped cream is even better. Is apple pie without whipped cream incomplete?

P.S. I do understand that you don't like buying a game that gets extra content added later on. I don't like the fact that you want to prevent me from buying said content on the store of my choice.

If I had my beloved Unreal as complete game, I wouldn't have been able to play it in '98, but had to wait till '99. Sure it was called expansion pack back then and we had to buy the disk, but download on GOG equals buying a disk back then.

What a DLC is depends on the developer and is not GOG's fault. If a DLC is treated like an expansion pack, then there is nothing to argue about. Think about the DLC "Missing Link" for "Deus Ex 3". That was oldschool expansion all the way. Hell, I even enjoyed it more than the actual game. If this is DLC, than I vote "yes" (again).

If the DLC is a rip off, than I guess it's the consumer decision, although the consumer may not know upfront that they are buying 70% of the game that will be completed with a DLC. That sucks and I don't approve of that, but what can we do? Will GOG know upfront that the game is 70%?

Ruling out DLC altogether is sheer ignorance, but I admit that it can be a problematic situation though. At the end for GOG it is a commercial business decision, not based on irrational hating or fanboyism.

I know for sure there will be awesome games coming out on GOG in the future followed by awesome DLC's. I don't want to be cut off that possibility, but I'm sure there will also be some ugly things coming our way. Only thing we can hope for is that GOG will find customer friendly solutions to keep our trust (for instance free DLC if a total, close to illegal rip off, or something like that).

GOG was not nice with their poll: Sure, everybody want to complete their game (with 'DLC') once they have spend money in base game.

But, at first, do somebody want to spend money for an uncomplete product? There were not questions about buying uncomplete games which were sold as complete.

amok: ?? do you mean selling alphas and betas? there were a question about it, no?

Edit - and I have no problem with it, as long as it is marked as so.

Good edit. Omerta was not sold with a mark telling that it will need DLCs to complete it.

JMich: P.S. I do understand that you don't like buying a game that gets extra content added later on. I don't like the fact that you want to prevent me from buying said content on the store of my choice.

You can, but not sold on GOG if it was not warn that the game was not complete. Or yes on GOG, if 'sold' for free.

Psychomorph: If I had my beloved Unreal as complete game, I wouldn't have been able to play it in '98, but had to wait till '99. Sure it was called expansion pack back then and we had to buy the disk, but download on GOG equals buying a disk back then. What a DLC is depends on the developer and is not GOG's fault. If a DLC is treated like an expansion pack, then there is nothing to argue about.

Yes I agree. But nowadays DLC is the name of tidy expensive bits made to own us. I hate being own. Omerta may be a good game now, it is still a quite shit. Thank GOG for their big % sell on, it was needed for GOG liking.

JMich: P.S. I do understand that you don't like buying a game that gets extra content added later on. I don't like the fact that you want to prevent me from buying said content on the store of my choice.

ERISS: You can, but not sold on GOG if it was not warn that the game was not complete. Or yes on GOG, if 'sold' for free.

So again, if there is a game I like, I'll have to either buy it outside of GOG, or wait a few years before I'm able to buy it on the store of my choice. Let's take SOTS: The Pit as an example. Lovely game, that I did buy the first week, and I did enjoy quite a bit. Would I have bought it had I known it would have DLC? Yes. What you propose is that either GOG shouldn't sell SOTS:TP until there was a complete version (so I wouldn't be able to play it), or sell SOTS:TP at a higher price so the DLCs would be included for free (not possible, since it would damage GOG quite a bit). You are (again) advocating that "If they don't sell the product I want, they shouldn't sell it". And yet you still don't see anything wrong with that attitude.

I think I go around with my comment and I apologize, you're not dumb. but you did not understand my point. I'll give you some examples, to see if I understand well.

I think you have to know Street Fighter IV (Not Super, not Arcade, SFIV only), this game despite its graphics, excellent soundtrack, let me tell you It has a pretty pathetic number of scenarios and clothes, that the content is sold separately (in different packages). when you download the weight is only 1 or 2 kb maximum. if you research a little ... SURPRISE, all content is on the disc. was made during the development of the game and not as an aggregate, another detail that was the only DLC before Super Street Fighter IV. the same thing happened to American Mcgee's Alice madeness Return. saga Cod Since Mw 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, etc. There are extreme cases where you only sell 3 map, two weapons for $20 or $30., or bordering on greed, a pallet of color for your caracters.

Do not be overstated, the game of the year edition does not take more than 2 or 3 months, max a year to hit the market, there are only few companies that have managed to sell dlcs with old school quality expansion packs. Rockstar, Bethesda, Remedy,Id software. if you say XCOM: EU on pc has a good dlc it Should be, I have it for Ios whiout DLCs.

your picture has no sense, the unofficial and official, addon have existed for years but they are later productions. a lot of the newest games contain these data included in the main game. if you like buy "Unlockers" is your problem, the most of us we don`t want them, nobody forces you to anything. if gog.com give an opportunity of buying separate dlcs who wants them would be perfect, but at the end of the production, they replaced the game with a new all-inclusided version, latest patches, including dlcs, for those who prefer to wait, in short give us our goty edition at the end. I would stop complaining. and I think many others too. gog.com not going to do. because they wants to please dumb companies like EA, SquareEnix, Capcom, Activision, etc.

when you not pay for mini dlcs you not limiting what others may play, instead, you would know more, rather than buy simple clothes or maps, you can expand by buying new and indie games and giving the chance to grow little companies. but well it's your opinion and it's your money. you know what to do with, you not need to respond I not want to argue too.

Good idea of GOG about Strike Suit Zero DLCs: those who want DLCs free can have them free (if they had bought the game early), those who want to buy them like JMich are not compelled to have them free, they can decline the redeem offer, and buy them, even fullprice if they can wait for the end of the promo.

JMich: Think of it this way. Apple pie is a complete desert. Apple pie with whipped cream is even better. Is apple pie without whipped cream incomplete?

I personally think McDonald's fries would be a better analogy for modern gaming. Sure, the fries are technically a 'complete' dish, but without the extras (mayo, ketchup) they taste like shit. You need to buy the ketchup/mayo before they even become remotely edible.

ERISS: Good edit. Omerta was not sold with a mark telling that it will need DLCs to complete it.

amok: Was Omerta sold as an alpha or beta? I thought GoG did not do that yet....

It was not warn. The game had ended its beta only with the last big patch. But I was not talking about these games sold unfinished (like Eador2) Even if it was sold finished, it was not warn that the game was not sold complete, as DLCs very soon had come.

ERISS: Good idea of GOG about Strike Suit Zero DLCs: those who want DLCs free can have them free (if they had bought the game early), those who want to buy them like JMich are not compelled to have them free, they can decline the redeem offer, and buy them, even fullprice if they can wait for the end of the promo.

Small correction, I don't really care about SSZ DLCs, other than to satisfy my OCPD (not OCD). That is the reason I did get SSZ during its first month here, and i do appreciate the offer. Seeing though how many people did enjoy SSZ and were asking for its DLCs to be available on GOG, I'm glad they are here. If you like the game and want the DLCs, get them. If you don't like the game, the DLCs ain't going to make it better. If you don't care about the game, the DLCs are irrelevant.

jamyskis: I personally think McDonald's fries would be a better analogy for modern gaming. Sure, the fries are technically a 'complete' dish, but without the extras (mayo, ketchup) they taste like shit. You need to buy the ketchup/mayo before they even become remotely edible.

Depends on the game I'd say. Omerta was an apple pie, and the DLCs were increased portion. Civ V was steak with fries and vegetables, along with a few sauces, while the DLCs were an extra beverage and dessert. XCOM was a McMenu with burger and fries, the Elite Soldier was mayo and ketchup, the Slingshot was an extra salad, and Enemy Within appears to be a second McMenu.

In all 3 cases, base game remains a full dish, and the DLCs enhance it. But as I said before, if the base game isn't to your liking, no DLC will fix it.